One Night Only? Redux
by spooksfan08
Summary: same story from Ruth's point of view. Very fluffy because I thought I'd been too mean to her and Harry in my longer stories.Set mid series 8 H/R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer

I don't own Spooks ( I wish!) it belongs to Kudos and BBC. No copyright infringement intended,

I have been so mean to Harry and Ruth in my current multi chapter ( Family Ties) that I decided to write something nice. This is Ruth's point of view of One Night Only.

One Night Only (Redux)

It was late when Ruth finally gave up waiting. Harry had yet another meeting with the JIC that would no doubt go on and on until the early hours. She had decided that they would have a nice quiet night in at his place. It was nicer than the safe house flat she was still using plus she would get to spend some time with Scarlet and her cats. It hadn't been fair to uproot Fidget and Muggles yet again. So while Harry continued to suffer in his meeting she was curled on the sofa, hot chocolate in hand with Muggles lying in her lap purring away. Eastenders had started and finished. So had DIY SOS. Ruth knew Harry wouldn't be eating the dinner she had made for them that night. Glancing at the clock she sighed when she realised the time. Instead of locking the house up and leaving she chose to do what was becoming more and more of a habit since she had started seeing Harry. Cats were plonked in their baskets as Scarlet trotted to her basket in the kitchen as Ruth tidied up and went to bed.

Hours later Ruth was still awake. Her mind alert, just in case Harry returned. She sighed, until she had met Harry Pearce she had never been an insomniac, but since the first day she ran in to the meeting room dropping files and showing herself up she had never been able to sleep properly. It was usually because she was worried about him. If there wasn't some imminent danger threating Section D or a rouge agent trying to kill them there was the until now intangible relationship they shared. Sighing heavily she turned in the bed, pulling the duvet around her and waited for the key in the lock. She glared as the clock ticked over to midnight and hoped they would both sleep tonight.

**Author's note : Part two soon. Just an introduction - this one really will only be 2 chapters! Back to the multichap tomorrow!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer :I do not own Spooks. Kudos and BBC own all things related to Spooks. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Redux part 2(rewritten in places and changed slightly as TheChronicallyAcountlessOne was right!-thanks) **

Ruth glanced at the clock before sighing heavily. It was just past midnight as she rolled on to her back. She was determined to get some sleep but was again worried about Harry. He was still stuck in the JIC meeting and it looked like he would be for a while. She glared at the ceiling as Fidget jumped on the bed. Ruth watched the cat curl up at the end of the bed, convinced that if Harry were there the moggie would be doing exactly the same thing. Although she knew Harry would never admit to allowing Muggles and Fidget to enter the bedroom.

Almost two months ago Ruth had finally dragged up the nerve to ask Harry for a drink. She had never asked anyone out in her life, but since her return to the UK, to her real life she knew Harry and her were going to be thrown together. It was just a matter of when. He had tried to hide his feelings when he had given her the job back but she had been so angry. Hadn't she told him at the time that the Baghdad deal would come back to bite them? Had he listened? No of course not. That was one of the reasons she had been so angry at him. She smiled as the cat snuggled up to her as she remembered how she been disappointed when Tariq had burst in to the office with news of yet more Nightingale plots, ruining her chance to get Harry away from the Grid and talk properly about everything. She knew Tariq had no idea what he had barged in on but Ruth was slightly appeased by the look of disappointment that crossed Harry's face. Sighing she had initially taken it as a sign that fate was intent on keeping them apart.

Ruth closed her eyes, determined to sleep but all she could do was think about the night on the Grid when the inevitable finally happened. She had been working late on the Grid as usual. The only member of the team left she sat at her computer researching the latest terrorist plot that Special Branch had sent her way. She didn't understand why they didn't have their own analyst but at least she didn't have to spend so much time at home alone when she could be on the Grid. She rubbed her eyes as she decided more coffee would help her make sense of the gibberish she had been reading on the screen. Pushing her chair away form the desk she walked towards the kitchenette in time to hear the Pod doors whoosh open. Smiling to herself Ruth knew only one person would be returning to the Grid at that time of night.

The kettle seemed to take ages to boil as Ruth grabbed her secret stash of coffee from the hiding place, she had taken to hiding it since Zaf had used up all the decent coffee. There was no way she could stomach the sludge that passed for coffee in the office. Retrieving the mug Harry normally used she filled both with milk and coffee granules before heading towards Harry's office. He didn't see her approach until she had deposited the mug in front of him. Ruth couldn't help but feel shy as he looked up at her. The desk lamp the only light in the room.

"What's this?" Harry smiled as Ruth rolled her eyes "That's why I'm the Intel Analyst. This is coffee, a drink traditionally made with hot water, milk and coffee granules. That's kenco. None of the usual muck this time of night" she smiled as she turned to leave. Happy that at least Harry had been pleased to see her. Her blood ran cold as she heard his voice. Her hand was already on the door handle as she turned.

"Thanks, I need this. But if you think that's you getting out of that drink you promised me, you're wrong" Ruth closed her eyes briefly, she had almost hoped he had forgotten about her offer. Obviously he hadn't. Ruth could feel herself begin to babble. She wasn't sure what she had said but the look in Harry's eyes had her rooted to the spot. She had only seen Harry look so dejected once before, when she had run. Not when she left but when she had run from him in Havensworth. She couldn't bear to see him look so destroyed. She couldn't bear to be the one that caused him to look so destroyed. Ruth knew she should hate him, after all he had completley disrupted her life twice. But she couldn't, she had tried, but there was no way what she felt for Harry Pearce could be described as hate. After everything they had been through since before she had left and now after George and Nico, after Jo's death Ruth never wanted to see anyone let alone Harry look so alone. That was when Ruth knew there was going to be no more running, not now.

Ruth smiled as she remembered sitting on the old battered sofa in the corner of the room. She never understood why Harry hadn't replaced it, it looked so out of place in the modern office. Smiling she remembered how they had drunk the coffee she had brought before Harry "happened" to remember that he had some malt in his desk drawer. They had chatted about everything and anything, from how Nightingale seemed to be more powerful than anyone had expected through to how Ros was coping or not with Jo's death. She had even confided in him about how her mother's advanced Alzheimer's meant she no longer remembered Ruth. Although Ruth and her mother had never got on seeing her Mum so frail and disorientated had almost killed Ruth. Harry had held her then as she cried. She hadn't meant to kiss him, it hadn't been planned but Ruth smiled as she realised not everything could be. Harry had kissed her back before insisting that they get something to eat. At that time of night only the local chip shop had been open. Ruth hadn't wanted the night to end but had hesitated slightly. She was inches away from Harry as he held on to her hands, the look in his eyes was almost as pleading. So Harry and Ruth's first date had been to the Chippy on the corner. It had been the first of many dates that had led to her lying in Harry's bed waiting in the dark for him to come home. She could feel her eyes grow heavy as she fought the urge to sleep. Glancing at the clock once more Ruth sighed. Both her and Harry had to be on the Grid by 8, that meant only a few hours sleep would be available to them. It was becoming clear that lying in the dark waiting for Harry to come home was not going to help her get any sleep.

Ruth laid on her back staring at the ceiling as she remembered the walk home from the chip shop. She'd felt like a teenage girl on her first date. Harry had held her hand as they walked through the cold deserted streets. She would normally have caught the last bus but that had been missed and she could have cared less. Harry had insisted on walking her home and Ruth had loved every second of it. She wasn't sure who had initiated the kissing on the doorstep of her safe house flat but she certainly hadn't wanted to put a stop to proceedings. She had tried and failed to open the front door as Harry kissed her. She had only pulled away when the need for oxygen had overwhelmed her.

Present day

Ruth was half asleep as she heard the key in the lock. Harry had finally got home. She rolled on her side as Harry climbed in the bed. Glad that he had finally got home safely Ruth turned to face him. He was lying on his back as Ruth snuggled up to him. He was freezing cold but Ruth knew she couldn't pull away. He kissed her as she sighed. "You ok?" she whispered as Harry kissed her again.

"Yeah, go back to sleep" Ruth turned and snuggled up to Harry, pillowing her head on his chest as one arm wrapped around his torso. She felt him begin to trace circles on her bare arm, they both needed sleep but Harry seemed wide awake. She sighed. "Harry, I love you but please go to sleep". Harry smiled as she spoke, her words slurred by fatigue. For once Harry Pearce did as he was told.

**author's note. Please let me know what you think. (One more chapter - Family Ties is still ongoing. Plus have an idea for another one.)**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer : See previous chapters

The Morning After

Harry woke with a start as the alarm clock bleeped. The 9 am meeting was still more than an hour away. He didn't want to get up but knew he had to be back on the Grid before 8 am. He left Ruth in bed as he showered and dressed. Ruth lay there in the double bed listening to the shower running. She smiled to herself as she debated surprising him in the shower. The cat jumped back on the bed as she decided that would only make them late for work. Ruth forced herself out of bed glad that she had remembered to bring a change of clothes this time. At least she wouldn't have to explain why she was dressed the same two days in a row this time. That had been embarrasing and she was sure Adam and Zaf didnt believe that she had spent the night at Thames House.

xxx

Ros was sat at her desk as Ruth arrived. She knew there was something going on between the Intel Analyst and the Section Head. Glancing through the windows of Harry's office as he paced up and down while shouting in to the phone Ros turned back to see Ruth dump her handbag in her desk drawer. Ros wondered how long it would be before the others realised what was going on in front of their eyes. Tapping a few keys on the computer in front of her Ros sighed. Nothing was ever a secret in Section D for very long, but as she still felt responsible for Ruth having to leave all those years ago Ros decided to keep quiet. At least if it was only her and Lucas that had suspicions about them the pair could enjoy a little peace and quiet for a while longer. Ros hoped that Zaf and Adam hadn't noticed anything different or Ruth would probably end up on the recieving end of some good natured teasing.

Ruth looked across at Ros wondering what was going on with her. The woman's face was impossible to read. Ros nodded as Ruth smiled. Ruth was certain Ros knew about her and Harry but was thankful that the Section Chief had kept quiet. As she tapped her log in code in to the computer Harry emerged from his office.

"Ruth can we have the latest Intel on the latest Nightingale asset to turn up dead after a trip to Basel by the time Ros and I get back from Whitehall?" Harry was fully back in work mode as Ros pulled her leather jacket on.

"Yes Harry" Ruth smiled as she noticed Ros had looked away. Harry couldn't help but smile back as he followed Ros towards the Pods. Ruth couldn't help but feel that their secret wouldn't be a secret for much longer as she felt her cheeks burn red. Zaf had observed the whole exchange from his position by the coffee machine.

"Zoe" he tapped the blonde on her arm as she turned. "I may just start up that book again" Zoe followed his line of sight to see a smiling Harry and blushing Ruth before thumping Zaf on the arm.

**author's note. This really is the end now. I wanted to change a few bits after some constructive critisism. Back to Family Ties now. Please review - I'd really like to know what you think :D**


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